Our People
Health and safety
Health and safety strategy
Essential Energy has a responsibility to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all employees, workers and members of the public, as far is reasonably practicable. The 2022-25 Health and Safety Strategy recognises that our safety systems and processes form a strong foundation to build upon, while focusing on mastering the fundamentals and continuously improving to embed organisational cultural change from compliance to personal safety commitment. This is enabled through the key objectives of safety mindset and leadership, serious injury prevention and improved health and wellbeing.
In 2022-23, we refined and prioritised our projects to focus on six core areas:
1. Build safety capabilities: develop safety capability and personal accountability at all levels of the organisation
We continued to expand our leadership development programs as part of our commitment to building a sustainable pipeline of leaders as well as developing capabilities we need now.
The Operations Leadership Program, launched in 2022, is building critical skills and behaviours. It includes the ‘Leading Safely Everyday’ module, which is the first module within the program to be delivered face to face. More than 250 frontline leaders have already completed Leading Safely Everyday across 10 locations and delivery will continue through the 2023 calendar year. The program is increasing the effectiveness of our daily depot ‘toolbox talks’ by improving safety mindset, culture and performance.
2. Improve system and governance: improve and simplify the Health, Safety and Environment Management system and reporting
Updates to our safety incident management tool will increase the efficiency of incident logging by improving automation and navigation, data capture capabilities and user experience. Enhanced safety dashboards will allow leaders and safety professionals to monitor performance and assurance activities. The dashboards became available from 1 July 2023.
3. Refocus critical control: build knowledge and focus on critical risks and embed application of critical controls
Network Fatal Risks (NFRs) are situations or events with the potential to result in a fatality or serious injury. We have made significant progress toward embedding critical controls to prevent fatal incidents by implementing Network Fatal Risks (NFR) Critical Controls for NFR 1 ‘working with electricity’ and NFR4 ‘driving and transport’. Critical controls for the remaining five NFRs will be rolled out progressively across the business.
The updated controls will allow employees to concentrate on keeping themselves and others safe, due to their high level of competence and understanding of high-risk work tasks. The rollout for NFR1 and NFR4 was rated effective by the NFR Critical Control Framework internal audit, which also noted positive stakeholder feedback on the design and implementation of the program.
Assurance activities will test and verify the effectiveness of the implemented controls and identify areas for improvement. We are also reviewing the remaining 10 Organisational Safety Risks to update our risk assessments, validate our current controls and identify any new or enhanced controls.
4. Promote holistic health and wellbeing: deliver an evidence-based, holistic health and wellbeing framework, driven by continuous improvement
The IGNITE wellbeing program has been providing webinars with information to help employees improve their health. During 2022-23, IGNITE sessions offered to all employees attracted the highest attendance numbers since the program was launched in 2019, and we are receiving positive feedback on important learnings and delivery style. A trial starting in July 2022 added two personal consultations with a dietician and/or exercise physiologist and, following a six-month review, we decided to increase the consultations to four from January 2023. We are also offering 30-minute health checks and have built on our skin cancer screening program so that employees can now access and claim reimbursement for a range of health screens appropriate to their age and gender.
5. Prioritise public safety: raise awareness of the network hazards and prevent fatalities and serious injuries to members of the public
We are continuing to promote public safety with activities designed to increase organisational and community awareness. See ‘Public safety‘ for details.
6. Land, air and water transportation: raise awareness of land, air and water transportation
During 2022-23 we expanded and enhanced the Towards Zero road safety working group. This brings employees from across the business together to develop and deliver strategic initiatives that will improve driver attitudes, raise awareness of road safety risks and reduce driving incidents. The group helps to identify opportunities for improvement throughout the business by inserting insights and suggestions into current reporting mechanisms and enhancing the Fleet Inspection and Audit System (vehicle pre-operational check) platform.
Partnering with ‘Heart of the Nation’
For National Heart Week 2023, in May, Essential Energy joined the fight against heart disease – Australia’s biggest killer – with a campaign to promote and reinforce the lifesaving potential of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in the event of sudden cardiac arrest. We are well placed to do this as AEDs are considered a vital piece of equipment in our depots, offices and vehicles when crews are working on live powerlines.
We are partnering with Greg Page, founder of Heart of the Nation and the original yellow Wiggle, to raise awareness of cardiac arrest and the value of AEDs within our organisation and the communities we serve.
Safety performance
Safety is our core value, and we empower our employees to ‘make safety their own’. This means being prepared to protect themselves and look out for their colleagues and the communities we serve. Our goal is for conscientious safety leaders and employees to drive continuous improvement.
Safety performance continued to improve during 2022-23, with no Major Lost Time Injuries (LTIs) and decreasing Serious Claim Frequency Rate (SCFR) and Total Recordable Injury Frequency Rate (TRIFR) compared with the previous year. Reporting of near miss incidents reflected an improving safety culture, where employees trust the incident review process to identify improvements and prevent serious incidents in the future. Safety performance measures are included in ‘The Company Scorecard‘.
Two incidents involving Essential Energy employees were reported to SafeWork NSW during 2022-23. An employee lacerated their hand and needed medical treatment before returning to work in an incident classified as Business Risk (BR) 17 (Striking object with part of the body). Two employees who were present at an incident classified as BR 12 (Uncontrolled release of pressurised substance) returned to work without needing medical treatment.
There were no prosecutions under the Work Health and Safety Act during 2022-23.
Contractor safety
During 2022-23 we refreshed contractor induction and management processes for staff who engage contractors to ensure that contractors remain safe in the field.
Strengthening aerial safety
Essential Energy is Australia’s first distribution network provider to adopt the Flight Safety Foundation’s Basic Aviation Risk Standard (BARS) program to strengthen aerial safety for our employees and contractors. BARS is a global program, designed to provide organisations that engage contracted aircraft operators with a standard to assist in risk-based management of aviation activities.
Fleet safety technology awarded
Our Fleet Improvement project team received the prestigious 2023 Fleet Safety Award at a ceremony held in May 2023. The Australasian Fleet Management Association (AfMA) recognised the team’s achievements in rolling out the In-Vehicle Monitoring System (IVMS) across the entire fleet as part of the organisation’s technology transformation and embedded safety culture. The project proactively addressed the risks associated with employees who drive more than 30 million kilometres every year.
Inclusion and diversity
Our Inclusion and Diversity Strategy 2022-23 was designed to build a workforce which reflects the communities we serve, allowing people to bring their whole selves to work every day.
Practical outcomes from the strategy during 2022-23 included:
- establishing an Inclusion Advisory Group to look at intersectionality in diversity and promote relevant programs
- establishing a corporate mentoring program to help all employees achieve their development goals
- completing our first Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) by implementing activities that seek to empower social, economic and cultural wellbeing for Indigenous employees and the communities in which we operate. See ‘Reconciliation progress‘ for more information
- commencing development of our second Innovate RAP
- awarding Indigenous scholarships to two university students, bringing the total number of students supported by Essential Energy to six, and establishing an internship program for an existing scholarship student
- partnering with Work180, who help raise the bar for women in the workplace
- promoting the development of a cohort of up and coming female leaders by sponsoring their attendance at a women in leadership summit
- joining the Champions of Change Energy coalition to advance women in leadership and achieve gender equality in the workplace
- sourcing a supply of maternity personal protective equipment (PPE) clothing for our female field workers
- delivering disability in recruitment training to the recruitment team
- conducting LGBTQIA+ awareness training
- developing an online Autism Awareness resource pack
- celebrating National Reconciliation Week, NAIDOC Week, International Women’s Day, Go Red for Dyslexia, International Day of People with a Disability, World Autism Awareness Day, Wear it Purple Day, World Pride, Wagga Wagga Mardi Gras, Diwali and Harmony Day.
We plan to extend the current comprehensive Unconscious Bias and Conscious Inclusion program in early 2024 as part of a comprehensive organisational program.
We are also committed to a gender diverse workplace with a female participation rate of at least 30 per cent. To support this, we sought and were granted exemption under section 126 of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW). This permits us to allocate 30 per cent of all Early Talent Pathway roles to female applicants. This adds to the 10 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Identified roles granted exemption in 2022. We will advertise for 20 Female identified apprentice roles and 10 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identified trainee roles across field operations and business support services, to start working with us in 2024, as well as three targeted STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) graduate opportunities.
We are working to develop and finalise an Inclusion Action Plan during 2023-24, with inclusion actions for all people, including those living with a disability.
Employee engagement
In June 2023, 77 per cent of Essential Energy employees completed the annual engagement survey to share their opinions, comments and suggestions on ways to make Essential Energy a better place to work. The participation rate remained consistent with previous years; however, it represented a greater number of employees, with 2,617 people having their say (up from 2,411 in the 2022 survey).
The percentage of engaged employees increased by 7 per cent, to 40 per cent. This reflects a higher engagement index than the Gallup Australian database (20 per cent) and global database (23 per cent), and on trend, given improvements between 2022 and 2023 results are seen across all Gallup segments.
The overall engagement score was 3.89 (out of five), another increase from 3.75 in 2022.
Feedback included 3,373 individual comments – providing great insight into areas of strength and opportunity, as well as employee feedback regarding health and wellbeing support.
These growing levels of engagement are encouraging and build on improvements and stability over recent years, with the percentage of engaged employees increasing from 15 per cent in 2018 to 40 per cent in 2023.
Essential Energy remains committed to improving as an organisation that all employees can be proud of.
Focus areas highlighted via the survey include:
- clarity of expectations
- prioritise engagement for high performing and high potential employees
- spotlight safety conversations and activities
- talent attraction and retention
- leadership development coaching to support inclusion and diversity
- focus on wellbeing through re-evaluating resources and workload and creating development opportunities
- rethink work redesign and flexibility
- recognition for individuals and teams.
Employee relations
The Essential Energy Enterprise Agreement 2021 and the Essential Energy Far West (Electricity) Enterprise Agreement have a nominal expiry date of 30 June 2024. Both enterprise agreements were renegotiated during 2021-22. The Essential Energy Enterprise Agreement 2021 came into operation on 11 February 2022 and the Essential Energy Far West (Electricity) Enterprise Agreement 2021 came into operation on 22 June 2022. Both enterprise agreements are for a three-year period and provide for a 3 per cent increase to wages and allowances in year one, applying from 1 July 2021. A further 2.5 per cent increase in wages will apply in years two and three, with an additional superannuation increase of 0.5 per cent in both years.
The Essential Water Enterprise Agreement 2022 came into operation on 25 January 2023 and has a nominal expiry date of 29 October 2025. This enterprise agreement provides for a 3.5 per cent increase to wages and allowances in year one, applying from 29 October 2022, with further 3.5 per cent increase to wages and allowances for proceeding years, occurring on 29 October 2023 and 29 October 2024.
Training and development
New apprentices, trainees and graduates
In February 2023 Essential Energy welcomed 99 new apprentices, 25 trainees and 11 graduates. These Early Talent Pathway roles contribute to our ongoing commitment to building a workforce reflecting the customers and communities we serve while ensuring we have the organisational capability to meet the challenges of the evolving energy industry.
The new apprentices are undertaking a four-year program of formal training combined with on-the-job experience. They include 77 powerline workers, nine cable jointers, 10 zone substation electricians and three fleet technicians.
Trainees are undertaking a 12-month training program. They include 19 asset inspectors, two vegetation officers, two warehousing and one field operations trainees.
The size and scope of our graduate program continues to grow, with this year’s recruits drawn from cyber security, software development, infrastructure and operations, operational technology, human resources, finance, data and engineering disciplines. Their three-year program includes rotational placements in functional areas of the business as well as an 18-month development course through Engineers Australia.
As of 30 June 2023, the total number of people in Early Talent Pathway roles was 192 apprentices, 25 trainees and 17 graduates.
Leadership development
In 2022-23 more than 550 employees participated in a range of leadership development programs, including Ready to Lead, Frontline Leadership and middle-level or Senior Leader programs. We also launched a new program for Operations Leaders with a ‘Leading Safely Everyday’ module designed to increase field-facing safety mindset, engagement and performance. See ‘Health and Safety Strategy‘ for more information.
Employee development
Providing learning opportunities that engage and inform our employees is central to our culture of achievement and growth. This year we continued to offer ‘Learn & Grow’, self-paced learning and virtual classroom workshops designed to develop behaviour, leadership and digital skills.
We also introduced a professional development assessment platform to help employees gain a better understanding of their strengths and then target their development to align with their career goals.
Supported Study
Essential Energy provides financial support for formal study. We cover the full cost of role-based progression and provide a variable amount for career development.
During 2022-23, 156 employees continued their study and 59 completed a course in qualifications ranging from Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) 3 (Certificate III) to AQF 9 (Masters degree). Of the current students, 64 (40 per cent) are studying Electrical or Power Engineering and 31 (20 per cent) are studying Business or Commerce, which are core skills for the organisation. A further 11 (7 per cent) will gain qualifications in the increasingly important fields of IT and data-related subjects.
Network Training and Assessment
The critical work of authorising people to work on or near the network continued throughout the year for approximately 1,800 Essential Energy employees, 2,800 external Accredited Service Providers (ASPs) and 790 Contract Service Providers (CSPs). We conducted annual regulatory refresher training, switching refresher training and role-specific initial training and induction courses for approximately 3,500 internal participants. We are reviewing our authorisations processes to align more effectively with future initiatives and our evolving industry.